President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s alleged friendship barely lasted a few months. As their dispute regarding the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ continues, the US President cautioned that the SpaceX CEO could end up losing “much more” than just government subsidies, and that the Department of Government Efficiency, which he once led, might transform into a powerful entity that could “return and devour Elon.”
On Monday, Musk declared that he plans to leverage his vast resources to challenge Republican members of Congress who backed Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ following the Senate’s close procedural vote to debate the extensive domestic policy initiative over the weekend. For most of Monday and early Tuesday morning, Musk shared and re-shared comments criticizing the tax cuts and spending proposal, particularly its high expense.
In a late-night act of retaliation, Trump suggested that his administration would examine the substantial federal contracts held by Musk’s companies. Before departing for the Florida immigration detention facility referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz” on Tuesday, Trump informed reporters outside the White House that “We may need to unleash DOGE on Elon.
President Trump’s full remarks as he spoke to the press before leaving for Alligator Alcatraz.
“We might have to put DOGE on Elon, you know? You know what DOGE is?
DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?” 😂 pic.twitter.com/7rTwjxyjZV
— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) July 1, 2025
Are you familiar with DOGE? The beast that may have to return and confront Elon. Wouldn’t that be awful? He receives a significant amount of subsidies.”
Will Trump send Elon Musk back to South Africa?
When questioned about the possibility of deporting Musk to his native South Africa, Trump replied, “I don’t know, we’ll have to take a look.”
Musk is a U.S. citizen. While the Justice Department has directed attorneys to prioritize denaturalization cases for naturalized citizens who commit offenses, Trump did not suggest that Musk had violated any laws.
Musk responds to Trump’s fiery statement
In response to Trump’s recent statements, Musk posted on X, “So tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now.”
Previously, Musk vowed to leverage his vast wealth to create a new political party should the “One Big Beautiful Bill” gain congressional approval. His determination could jeopardize the fragile discussions ongoing in both the House and Senate. Last month, Musk openly criticized Trump’s key tax and spending legislation, leading to a breakdown in their relationship.
“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” Musk sated in a post on X on Monday.
Later, he reiterated his position, saying that politicians who supported the bill “should hang their head in shame” and that “they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
